


one way or another

by oddeyejinsol



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, just shameless fluff really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 15:52:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21273755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddeyejinsol/pseuds/oddeyejinsol
Summary: A magazine tells Vivi and Jinsol that they're incompatible. Jinsol takes this as a challenge.





	one way or another

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like i havent posted in a hot sec so enjoy this fluffy visoul from a cc prompt while i work on something longer >:)

“Hey, Vivi, what would you prefer: a night in watching movies on the couch, or going to dinner and a movie at the theaters?”

Vivi blinks. “Huh?” 

Vivi’s gotten used to her roommate’s eccentric friend Jinsol hanging around the house all the time, but she’ll still never get used to the way Jinsol constantly tries to make conversation. It’s not that Vivi doesn’t like her — she seems nice, if overeager — it’s just that Vivi’s not the most outgoing person, and she’s terrible at small talk. Jinsol doesn’t let this stop her, though. 

Like right now: Haseul is showering before they go out and Jinsol’s chosen to wait not in the living room with the nice big TV, but in the kitchen where Vivi’s cooking. She was hovering around the stove first, but after Vivi not-so-accidentally splashed her with the hot water, she retired to the table. Vivi thought she’d finally get some peace and quiet when Jinsol started reading the magazine Haseul left there, but she should’ve known it would never last.

“There’s a two-person quiz in this magazine, we should do it!” Jinsol says enthusiastically. “C’mon, movie night in or movie night out?”

“In,” Vivi relents, because it’s not like she’s doing anything while she’s waiting for the pasta to cook.

“Hmm, okay. I would’ve said out, but let’s see… okay, what movie snack do you pick, sweet or salty?”

“Sweet,” Vivi says instantly, and Jinsol gasps dramatically.

“No way, you’ve got to have popcorn if you’re watching a movie!”

“Popcorn gets stuck in your teeth,” Vivi points out. “Chocolate doesn’t.”

Jinsol sucks her teeth and continues reading. “Okay, it’s my birthday, are you buying me something or DIY-ing the present?”

“Buying it, of course,” Vivi says, and turns around incredulously when Jinsol gasps again. “Come on, you can’t tell me you  _ like  _ shitty homemade gifts.”

“Of course I do! It’s the thought that counts,” Jinsol says earnestly, and her eyes are so wide that Vivi almost considers changing her answer.  _ Almost. _

“No, it’s the  _ gift  _ that counts. Next question.”

Jinsol pouts and picks the magazine back up. “Okay, calling or texting?”

“Texting?” Vivi ventures, and Jinsol shakes her head in disbelief. 

“Texting is stressful! I can never tell the tone of texts and I hate waiting for a response. I’d rather just call someone.”

“ _ Calling  _ is stressful,” Vivi argues. “And you can’t do anything else except walk around, so it’s super boring.”

Jinsoul purses her lips. “You know, I can kinda see where you’re coming from here. Okay, last question. Where do you see yourself in five years? Still single or settled down?”

Vivi leans against the stove to think about that one, folding her arms. “Well, it really depends, doesn’t it? If I meet the right person I’d want to be settled down, but if I haven’t yet, then I’d rather just stay single.”

Jinsol nods enthusiastically. “Wow, we actually both agree on that one. Okay, cool, let’s see the results… ‘Totally incompatible. You and your crush are too different to make it work. It’s sad to say, but you two will never be together.’ What the hell?!”

“Your crush?” Vivi asks in amusement, which only increases when Jinsol get all flustered.

“Shut up, I’m just reading what it says on the stupid quiz! Besides, even if you were my crush, this magazine clearly does  _ not  _ support that. That’s ridiculous! They really think they can predict that based off of like, five vague questions?”

“And we disagreed on like, all of them,” Vivi points out. “They might be onto something.”

“So you really believe we would  _ never  _ work?” Jinsol asks, her eyebrows raised. 

Vivi throws her hands in the air. “I mean, I don’t know? Probably not?”

“Well, you know what we do in science when we’re not sure about a hypothesis?” Jinsol says, leaning across the table. “We test it. So, let’s go out on a date.”

“What?” Vivi splutters, caught off-guard.

“You heard me! Let’s go out on a date, and if we enjoy it even just a little, then we prove this magazine wrong,” Jinsol says with determination.

“I doubt Cosmopolitan cares about what you think,” Vivi jokes, but she can’t say she’s not interested. Jinsol may be a little weird, but she’s very pretty, and there’s definitely a strange flirtatious energy here. 

“It’s for my own personal pride. Come on, please?” Jinsol pouts, turning her eyebrows upward in an upside down V. “Pleeease?”

“Does that usually work?” Vivi snorts.

“All the time,” Jinsol says, and Vivi can believe it. Those are the cutest puppy-dog eyes she’s ever seen, and she’s witnessed the way Yeojin looks at Haseul when she wants her to buy her ice cream.

With both perfect and horrible timing, Haseul walks into the kitchen, her hair still damp. “Hey guys! Okay, Jinsol, let’s go, this place closes in like an hour and I _need _that cheesecake.”

Jinsol doesn’t budge, still looking at Vivi intently. “Well?”

“I’ll think about it,” Vivi allows, and Jinsol rewards her with a bright smile.

“Great! Let’s go, Seul,” she says, hopping off the chair and heading to the hall. “Bye, Vivi.”

“Bye, Vivi,” Haseul echoes, looking a bit confused but following Jinsol anyway. Vivi hears them chatter about music club drama, and then the door closes behind them and she’s left alone in the silent apartment, deep in her own thoughts. She doesn’t realize she’s thinking so hard about Jinsol’s question until she hears the sizzle of the water boiling over onto the hot stove.

She takes the pot off the heat and shakes her head, forcing herself to focus. Jinsol will probably forget about it, anyway.

Meanwhile, once they’re out on the street, Haseul asks Jinsol, “hey, what were you and Vivi talking about? When she said she’d think about it.”

Jinsol bites her lip. “I asked her out,” she whispers, and Haseul gasps so loudly that it makes several passersby look over in concern.

“No way!” the shorter girl exclaims, practically vibrating with excitement. “I mean, I know you’ve been crushing on her since I moved in but it’s been like, what, eight months? I thought you would have given up already.”

Jinsol punches her friend’s shoulder, not too lightly. “Shut up! I was just waiting for the opportunity, and tonight I finally got it.”

“Yeah? What was it?”

“Uh. A magazine I strategically placed on your table with a ‘How Compatible Are You and Your Crush’ quiz in it.”

“Jinsol. Sweetie,” Haseul begins, but Jinsol cuts her off.

“Your tone is already too pitying. Let’s drop it, okay? She’s probably just gonna forget this conversation ever happened, or just think I’m joking,” she mutters, and Haseul frowns at her friend’s dejected tone.

“No, she won’t! Next time you come over you’re gonna ask her again and get a proper answer,”  Haseul says firmly. “As your best friend and her roommate, I’m giving you the go-ahead.”

Jinsol brightens at that. “So you don’t think we’d be a horrible couple together?”

“Not at all!” Haseul responds. “I mean, it’s not like you guys have anything in common or have ever had a conversation longer than five minutes, but why not, right?”

“... Let’s try that again. So you don’t think we’d be a horrible couple together?”

“Not at all!”

* * *

_ Knock, knock-knock, knock! _

“I’ll get it!” Vivi practically shouts, bolting out of her room at a speed she only uses to chase down the mailman. She knows what Jinsol’s knock sounds like at this point, and usually she takes it as a sign to stay in her room and avoid interaction, but she can’t even lie to herself: she’s dying to see her. 

Vivi takes a second to straighten her hair in the hallway mirror before flinging open the door to see Jinsol, looking casual in overalls but still super cute. “Yes,” Vivi says immediately.

Jinsol’s jaw drops a little. “Whoa, can you read my mind? I was just about to ask if Haseul was home.”

“No, I mean yes to your question,” Vivi asks. For a moment, she’s worried she’s going to have to clarify, but judging by Jinsol’s wide-eyed expression she remembers that conversation.

“Okay, um… so we’re going out on a date. Great,” Jinsol says, thinking to herself,  _ fuck, I didn’t plan this far ahead!  _ “So … movies are out of the question, right?”

Vivi laughs a little, remembering the quiz questions. “Right. You know what? Surprise me. I have a feeling if we try to decide on something to do, we’ll be talking forever, so … pick me up tomorrow at eight?”

“Tomorrow at eight, hmm, I don’t know…” Jinsol trails off, looking thoughtful. “I mean, I was planning on eating goldfish crackers and watching deep sea documentaries, but sure.”

“Please don’t tell me that’s going to be our date,” Vivi says, only half jokingly.

“Well, not anymore,” Jinsol sighs, and Vivi thinks she’s being serious until she breaks out into a grin. “Kidding! It’ll be great. Tomorrow at eight. Oh, that rhymed!”

Vivi just stares. “Should I go get Haseul before I start to regret this decision?”

“Yes please,” Jinsol says gratefully, and waits till Vivi’s turned around to quietly high five herself.

For the rest of the day and most of the following one, Vivi can’t stop thinking about her upcoming date. She’s never been the type to feel butterflies, but now it feels like entire seagulls are flying around in her stomach. She tells herself it’s because she doesn’t know where they’re going, that it’s just the anticipation and the suspense, but in reality it’s Jinsol herself who's making Vivi’s heart flutter, against all odds.

Thankfully, Haseul doesn’t tease her about it. In fact, she seems excited about the whole thing, begging Vivi to let her help choose an outfit. It’s hard to plan what you’re gonna wear when you have no idea what you’re gonna do, but in the end they decided on a flowy cotton dress and a light jacket in case it gets chilly.

Jinsol rings the doorbell a few minutes early, but Vivi doesn’t mind at all because she’s been waiting and ready on the edge of the couch for the past half hour. Straightening her dress nervously as she runs to the door, she waits a few moments before opening it, as not to seem so desperate. Jinsol is standing on the other side, dressed down in a sweater and jeans, and her eyes go comically wide when she sees Vivi.

“Oh, wow,” she says, blinking. “You’re wearing a dress.”

Vivi shifts from foot to foot. “Is it too fancy for where we’re going? Not fancy enough?”

“No, not at all! You just, uh, you look beautiful,” Jinsol splutters, and then produces a flower from behind her back in an attempt to save herself. “Here, I brought you this.”

A genuine smile comes to Vivi’s face as she accepts the flower. “Thank you, Jinsol. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s real! Smell it,” Jinsol encourages.

“Ah… I’m allergic to pollen,” Vivi says apologetically, trying to ignore how her nose is already beginning to twitch.

“Oh,” Jinsol says, and they stare at each other awkwardly until the silence is broken by a cough from inside the apartment that sounds suspiciously like a laugh.

“Here, I’ll put it in some water,” Haseul says as she swoops to Vivi’s rescue, taking the offending flower away from her. “Go ahead, lovebirds!”

They say goodbye to Haseul and go about their way, walking to their secret destination. Vivi’s glad for the jacket; it’s a nice night, but the wind is a little nippy on her exposed legs. Jinsol keeps up a steady chatter the entire time, with Vivi humming and interjecting every now and then. While she’d usually find it annoying, right now it’s kind of nice. It makes up for the fact that Vivi doesn’t usually talk much anyway, and that the first date nerves are keeping her even quieter. It’s surprisingly not awkward between them, and Vivi can feel herself untensing the longer they walk for.

“Oh, here we are!” Jinsol says eventually, coming to an abrupt stop.

“The aquarium? But it’s closed,” Vivi frowns, looking at the dark windows of the building and the sign on the door.

“Well, I volunteer here sometimes, and I have a key,” Jinsol says conspiratorially. “It’ll be just us and the fish, like a little adventure.”

Vivi is definitely  _ not  _ an adventurer, and she’s not the biggest fan of fish either, but Jinsol looks so excited that she caves. “Sounds great!”

Jinsol’s key doesn’t unlock the front door but rather the back, meaning they have to go around the building and sneak in. Vivi’s already worrying about getting caught, and being inside the aquarium doesn’t do anything good for her nerves. It’s almost pitch-black save for the faint blue light emanating from the tanks, and eerily quiet.

“Isn’t it cool?” Jinsol says, the awe evident in her voice. Vivi turns to look at her incredulously, but her expression fades into something softer at the sight of Jinsol’s excited, starry-eyed face, beautiful in the blue glow.

“Yeah,” Vivi says, trying to make it sound convincing. She figures that it can’t be too bad if she just looks at Jinsol the whole time, and definitely  _ not  _ at the creepy eels right in front of her.

It turns out it can absolutely be too bad. Even though Jinsol’s endless fountain of aquatic creature facts is somewhat distracting, Vivi can’t relax. She’s not  _ afraid  _ of the dark, but she’s certainly not fond of it. Plus, it doesn’t help that the creatures look dark and ominous swimming about in the barely lit tanks, as well as the twisted shadows they cast on the walls. It just seems too much like the beginning of a horror movie, and Vivi’s nerves are getting more frazzled by the second.

The final straw comes when a manta ray slams itself against the glass just as Vivi walks past it, making her fall backwards on her ass with a piercing scream. Jinsol instantly rushes to her side to help her up, brushing her off and apologizing profusely.

“Shit, Vivi, are you okay?” Jinsol asks worriedly, holding her like she’s a delicate piece of paper. “He was just playing with you, honest.”

“I’m okay,” Vivi says, wishing she wasn’t so shaken up so she could enjoy the feeling of being in Jinsol’s arms more. 

“Let’s go see the jellyfish, okay?” Jinsol says, steering her out of the room. When they get to their destination, Vivi understands why: the slow, graceful movement of the jellyfish is undoubtedly calming as well as beautiful to watch. There’s a bench there, and Vivi gladly sits down on it, taking the opportunity to try and bring her heart rate down. When Jinsol sits down next to her, their legs touching, it only makes her heart skip a beat.

“This is really nice,” Vivi says truthfully, watching the blue-tinged jellyfish swim lazily around.

“Really?” Jinsol says, voice filled with relief.

“Really,” Vivi confirms, turning her head to smile at her. She doesn’t realize how close Jinsol is till she does; their faces are mere inches apart, and Jinsol is gazing right back at her. Wordlessly, they start to move closer to one another, Jinsol tilting her head in anticipation, and then—

A loud, banging sound, in the distance but still loud enough to make them spring apart.

“What was that?” Vivi asks, her heart racing again.

They hear a jingling sound followed by unmistakable footsteps, and Jinsol winces. “Probably the night guard. Hurry, we need to run!”

Jinsol doesn’t give Vivi a choice, grabbing her hand and yanking her into a run. Vivi hates running, and since Jinsol is taller her strides are much longer, but the adrenaline of hearing the guard running behind them is enough to keep her up to speed. Jinsol dashes around the aquarium with ease even in the dark, but once they step out through the back door they’re stopped dead in their tracks by a wire fence.

“Fuck, the door’s on the other side,” Jinsol mutters frantically. “Okay, we’ll have to jump it.”

“What? You’re crazy,” Vivi exclaims, but then along with the ever-nearing footsteps she hears another sound: a  _ bark _ . “Oh, hell no! Lift me up, quick!”

Jinsol boosts her up with her hands and Vivi starts climbing for her life. She manages to throw herself ungraciously but successfully over the top, falling hard onto her knees and hands and rolling several times. It  _ hurts _ but she has no time to dwell on it, because Jinsol hoists herself over as well and they have to pick up their running again, Vivi following as Jinsol leads them into a small, half-hidden alleyway.

“God,” Vivi grits out as she leans against the brick wall, catching her breath. “When you said it was gonna be an adventure …”

“I’m really sorry, Vivi,” Jinsol says, playing anxiously with her hands. “I forgot he would be there... It was a dumb idea anyway. I should’ve let you choose.”

Jinsol looks so said that Vivi can’t find it in her to be irritated, despite her scratched palms and knees and the heart attack she’s probably going to have. “It’s okay. We got away safe, right?”

“You’re hurt,” Jinsol points out, taking Vivi’s hands in her own and flipping them over to show the scraped palms. Her hands are warm and soft, and Vivi’s suddenly grateful for the minor injury.

“Really, it’s okay,” she says, although she doesn’t remove her hands. “It’s barely a scratch.”

Jinsol smiles at her, but it’s kind of worried, so Vivi says, “listen, there’s a park pretty close by. Wanna go hang out there? It’s public property, so no guards will chase after us.”

Jinsol looks almost surprised, but she gathers herself quickly. “Yes, let’s do that! Please!”

“Great. Now let’s get out of this creepy alley,” Vivi says, beginning to head out, but she turns around again when she hears Jinsol gasp. “What?”

“Um, your dress…” Jinsol says, wide-eyed, Vivi runs her hand over the fabric only to realise there’s a huge rip in the back of the skirt.

“Shit, it must have gotten caught on the fence,” Vivi groans. “Dammit, this was a nice dress.”

“Oh, gosh. Here, have this!” Jinsol says, hurrying to shrug her sweater off and hand it over. Vivi accepts it gratefully, wrapping it around her middle, and she smiles at the graphic T-shirt that Jinsol’s wearing underneath.

“Star Trek? That’s so dorky.”

“To be fair, I didn’t think you’d be seeing it,” Jinsol mutters, red-faced, and her blush only deepens when Vivi reaches out to hold her hand as they walk in the direction of the park.

By now the moon is high in the sky and surrounded by twinkling stars, and Vivi can’t think of a more romantic sight, especially with the dramatic grey clouds. She spreads her jacket out on the dewy grass and she and Jinsol lie down side by side, hands still loosely intertwined as they point out various shapes that they see in the constellations.

“I think that one’s the Big Dipper,” Vivi says, pointing, and Jinsol follows her gaze.

“I don’t know, it kinda looks like a fish to me.”

“God, please don’t mention fish again,” Vivi says with a groan, but instead of the laugh she expected, Jinsol bites her lip.

“I really am sorry, you know,” she says meekly. “I really tried, honest, but this date is a disaster anyways. Maybe that dumb magazine was right.”

“Hey, it’s not a disaster,” Vivi argues. “I’m having a great time right now.” And surprisingly, it’s honest; despite everything, Vivi feels all warm and content just being around Jinsol, holding her hand.

“Really?” Jinsol asks softly, looking away from the sky and at Vivi beside her. 

“Really,” Vivi says, thinking that Jinsol is more beautiful than all the stars. The familiar conversation seems to bring them both back to the moment they’d missed previously, because wordlessly they start to move closer together, closing the distance between them until— 

Until the dark clouds above them open up into a torrential downpour, the kind of sudden rain that falls hard and fast and gets you soaked to the skin within mere minutes.

“What the hell?” Jinsol yelps, sitting up and covering her head. “The forecast was clear for tonight!”

“Quick, get up, my jacket’s gonna get all muddy!” Vivi says frantically, saving the garment and using it to shield her head. “Come on, let’s get out of here, you’re gonna freeze.”

Jinsol nods, hugging herself for warmth, and they take off back in the direction of where they came from. They duck into the first doorway they find with an extended storefront, and although the entire endeavor takes less than five minutes, their hair and clothes are dripping by the time they take cover.

“The store is closed,” Jinsol says, peering through the dark window.

“Never mind that,” Vivi says, wringing her hair out. “We can at least stay here until it dies down a bit.”

Jinsol sighs in frustration, rubbing her hands across her face. “God, this  _ literally  _ could not be going worse. It’s like the entire universe is screaming at us that this is a bad idea.”

Vivi raises an eyebrow, stepping even closer to her in the small space. “So are you gonna let it win? Or are you going to prove it wrong?”

They share a charged, electric look before they move simultaneously, Vivi cupping Jinsol’s face and Jinsol wrapping an arm around the younger girl’s waist. In their own little bubble beneath the silent storefront, they kiss until the sound of the pelting raindrops is mere background noise, until nothing matters except each other. Until the rain finally stops and they don’t even realize, too wrapped up in one another to care about the rest of the world.

When Vivi gets home, Haseul takes one look at her appearance — rain-soaked and slightly muddy, bloody knees and hands, and a huge rip in her dress — and she springs up off the couch. “Oh my god!” she exclaims in horror. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Only the best date of my life,” Vivi says dreamily, stepping out of her shoes. It was great. _Jinsol _is great."

“Wait, seriously?” Haseul gasps. “I can’t believe it. That corny magazine thing really worked?”

“It really worked,” Vivi sighs happily. “We’re going on another date this weekend. Now I’m going to take a shower cause even though it’s not possible, I still feel like I smell like fish. Don’t ask.”

Haseul watches, mouth agape, as Vivi practically skips in the direction of the bathroom. After mulling it over in her head for a moments, the gears of her brain working, she picks up her phone to compose a text.

_ hey jiwoo! random question but, netflix and chill or dinner & a movie?? _

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](http://twitter.com/bluejinsol) / [cc](http://curiouscat.me/oddeyejinsol)


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